Early literacy and libraries

The Annie E. Casey Foundation recently published a report entitled “Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of the Third Grade Matters” about, well, why being able to read by the fourth grade matters.

Essentially, research has shown that if students are not able to read well (at a fourth grade level) between the ages of 8 to 9, their chances of learning how to read critically decrease every year.

This is especially a problem among children from low-income families. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that “in 2009, 83% of children from low-income families – and 85% of low-income students who attend high-poverty schools – failed to reach the ‘proficient’ level in reading.” (The “proficient” level is determined and measured by the NAEP and essentially means that a student reads at grade level or better and has high reading comprehension.) Not being able to read pretty much guarantees failure in school, which leads most students to become frustrated, lost, and to eventually drop out.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation argues in their report that children who are not given “high-quality learning opportunities beginning at birth and continuing in school and during out-of-school time” are at a disadvantage as compared to children whose parents read to them as infants, teach them to read before and during kindergarten, and who place their children in high-impact summer and after-school programs.

The organization Jumpstart agrees with the Annie E. Casey Foundation in their recent report, “America’s Early Childhood Literacy Gap,” and states that children from low-income families who enter school “without basic early literacy skills” (unlike their affluent peers) may never catch up. Basic literacy skills at that young of an age include having heard stories, discussing stories and story structure with parents, increased language development from hearing stories, etc. But more than 37% of American children “arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary for lifetime learning.”

When these children are then sent to low-performing and low-resource schools, the divide among children is magnified. Thus, it becomes absolutely necessary that these children be taught how to read by the fourth grade – that they catch up to their affluent peers (who have the luxury of better schools).

But without libraries and librarians to offer books, how will these children learn not only how to read, but to love reading? Libraries are an equalizer because they offer all people the same resources for free. If all students in Philadelphia had the exact same school libraries as students in the suburbs, they would have a better shot at competing, at catching up, at equal educations.

This is why Library Build, Inc’s job is important, and why we believe that the power of a library will truly be able to make an impact on America’s youth.


Sources:

Annie E. Casey Foundation, A Kids Count Special Report. Early Warning! Why Reading by the End of Third Grade Matters. www.aecf.org

Burkam, D., & Lee, V. Inequality at the Starting Gate: Social Background Differences in Achievement as Children Begin School. 2002.

Jumpstart. “America’s Early Childhood Literacy Gap.” 2009.